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IMAGINAL LOVE The Meanings of Imagination in Henry Corbin and James Hillman TOM CHEETHAM

A stunning book. This is one of my all time favourite books, one that I am sure I will reread numerous times. It is an astounding creative exploration and extension of the writings and life views of Henry Corbin and James Hillman, including brief synopsis of poets Robert Duncan, Wallace Stevens and others. He explores the literal process by which human kind has wandered into and the misguided abstract world that does not reflect concrete reality. He explores how energy of the archetype manifests in us and can be wrongly interpreted and discourages attachment to abstract nouns and literal understanding, encouraging a life view and living through “being” and a practice of reflecting in verbs and adverbs. He speaks of events rather than objects. He writes in a way that is inquisitive, that he has discovered something life changing and that he intuitively relates to in Henry Corbin and James Hillman. A genuine desire to find in humans what is authentic is obvious and in that, he has come to see the wonderful aspects of being human that we all have access to. He encourages another non literal perception of our very creative, expansive and compassionate human nature that easily becomes trapped in the narrowing of our human perceptions. He does not illustrate any of this as an idealistic pursuit or success or as something to be achieved but more out of an unraveling and letting go and a returning to what we inherently are.

IRIS PHOTOGRAPHS

So we have to understand the existence, this life, our relationship to society. We have not only to understand our relationship with each other, with society, but to bring about a radical change in that relationship. And that is our responsibility. I do not think we feel this urgency. – Krishnamurti